


Criminal

by Brithna



Series: Tidal Project [4]
Category: The Devil Wears Prada (2006)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-09-15
Updated: 2013-09-15
Packaged: 2017-12-26 15:09:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,242
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/967411
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Brithna/pseuds/Brithna





	Criminal

Miranda ripped the door open to her hotel suite and slammed it hard enough to knock a picture off the wall. Oh well, who cares? Let Elias-Clark pick up the tab. How in the _hell_ could that insolent girl just walk away like that? Did she not realize what she had just given up?

Miranda paced the room, walking over every inch ten times then kicked off her heels and walked it all over again ten more times. There was just _no_ way this was happening. How insane do you have to be to walk away from something like this? Everyone wanted this. Millions of girls would kill for this. Therefore, Andrea _must_ be insane, that was the only logical explanation Miranda could even comprehend. Completely and totally insane.

Miranda was going to ruin her. She would have to move to Alaska to find a job by the time Miranda was done with her. Andrea thought she knew so goddamn much about what she wanted out of life. Well that was good because she was about to find out how truly hard it was to make it in the real world. Let her brilliant, better than everyone else attitude be put to good use for someone else! She would be in the unemployment line for the _rest_ of her natural born life when this was over.

And her phone? Throwing it into that fountain? How mature. That showed such character. She would make sure Andrea didn’t receive her last check for that little display. Of all the things to do. Walking away, tossing her phone away, leaving everything, leaving _Miranda_ … Miranda stood still for a moment as she ran that last thought through her head again. No, no, _no_. She refused to have that thought. Was there a delete button, a backspace button for your brain? No. Damn it!

Miranda opened up the doors to her balcony and took a deep breath. Certainly not the fresh air she needed but it would do. She took a few more deep breaths and started to slip out of her jacket when something fell out of the small pocket. It was that damn list she had used against Irv. Miranda picked it up and glanced over the names she already knew by heart. How would Irv feel if he found out that half these people would probably _not_ have moved along with her if his plan had succeeded? Oh well, hopefully he would never get the chance to find out. Miranda crumpled up the paper and threw it behind her.

Aspirin, she needed Aspirin. The headache she was getting was going to end up being beyond horrific. Miranda went into the bathroom and tore through a bag on the vanity. Finding the pills, she downed them with tap water and stared herself down in the mirror. She looked like shit. Complete and total shit.

Miranda slammed her hand down on the counter “Fuck!”. Running her hands through hair, she turned, walked a circle around the bathroom then stood back in front of the mirror. “This is fucking crazy! Everything was going so well! How did all this happen?” Miranda threw her hands up in the air and stalked out of the bathroom. She needed a drink and she needed to get out of this room. Grabbing her jacket, she put her shoes back on and headed downstairs to the hotel bar. Just like the cursing, this move was completely uncharacteristic of her but Miranda knew she would go crazy if she stayed in this isolation much longer.

Thank God pretty much everyone even closely associated with fashion was attending various parties throughout the city. This meant she could drink alone and in peace. No one would dare approach her anyway. No one had the balls to.

Two shots of whiskey and three glasses of wine later she was feeling much better. She knew she would regret this in the morning but that was what aspirin was for, right? Just as the bartender came to check on her she felt a hand on her back and someone was saying “I’ll have what she’s having.” Who in the fuck was this? She whipped her head around to tear into the idiot who dared lay a hand on her only to find Nigel Kipling staring back at her.

“Nigel, I am not in the mood for a scene here. Please leave me alone. We will discuss your situation when we get back to New York.”

Nigel waved her off and sat down as the bartender brought them their wine. “How long have you been sitting here? Or should I say, how many drinks have you had?”

Miranda looked him up and down. Who does he think he is? “I see no reason to for you to ask such questions. What is it that you want?”

“I want to have a drink with my friend. I’m tired of the parties and you look like you could use an ear.”

Miranda scoffed “Did James Holt bring some of his infamous punch all the way to France, or have you been smoking something? How could you _possibly_ want to sit next to your _friend_ after what I did to you today?”

Nigel took a sip of wine and stared at the countless bottles of liquor displayed in front of them. “Miranda…that will all work itself out in the end; I have no doubts about it.”

Miranda swung her head around to look at him and regretted it. A little too fast maybe? “Oh? Really? How could you possibly know that Nigel? “

“Because I know you. I know what kind of relationship we have and I trust that. I may not like what has happened but I trust our relationship.”

“You are too trusting my friend. As the one and only Patty Hewes says: ‘Trust No One’. You would do well to remember that.”

“You’re drunk Miranda.”

“Not nearly enough. This has quite possibly been the single worst trip to Paris I have ever had in my life. Hell…trip _anywhere_.”

“I agree. Maybe you should switch to coffee?” Nigel moved to take her wine glass.

“Don’t you dare. I would sooner step on your neck with this heel than let you tell me what I should and should not be drinking right now.”

Nigel pushed the glass back toward her. “Ooookay then. Have it your way.”

“I usually do, don’t I?”

“Miranda…care to tell me what is going on? Because I know this,“ he motioned toward her with his hand “is not all about me or Irv or even your bastard soon-to-be ex-husband.”

“And how in the fuck do you know _that_ Nigel?”

“Okay now you’re scaring me. You actually said _fuck_ in public.”

“This is hardly public, now answer my question.”

“Well for one, what you did to me today was purely business. It hurt like a bitch but it was business and you can hardly be too _fucked_ up about that. Even I can’t. Secondly, you really don’t give a damn about your husband. You know as well as I do that he was all wrong for you to begin with. You care about your girls and how this will be for them, you don’t care about Stephen. So what is it?”

Miranda swung her head back around to Nigel, this time a little slower since she was beginning to wonder if it was possible to fall off of a bar stool without anyone else noticing. Probably not. “It’s quite obvious isn’t it? I’m a criminal, Nigel. A goddamned criminal. I have committed one of the worst sins…even worse than what I did to you. I need another drink.” Miranda waved at the bartender and motioned to her wine glass. He rolled his eyes and refilled both their glasses.

“You really need to stop drinking. But then again maybe not because if you stop drinking, you’ll stop talking and I want to hear every word of this. Now what is this criminal nonsense?”

“You’re right; I don’t need to stop drinking. Of course, it is not something I usually advocate but it’s the only thing that will make these crazy thoughts go away.”

“I don’t think it’s working.”

“Me either.”

“So tell me. What is it, damn it. Just rip the proverbial band-aid off and tell me. You’ll feel better if you do.”

“You are _such_ a liar.” Miranda was silent for a moment very intent on studying the stained glass patterns behind all those delightful bottles of liquor. How beautiful. Stunning really. Miranda shook her head and took another sip of wine. Might as well tell him. He wouldn’t believe her anyway so it seemed safe enough. “Nigel, she left.”

“Andy? Yes. I know. I was right behind you in the next car, remember? I practically saw the whole thing. That’s what’s got you so upset? Seriously?”

“Good. I’m glad you don’t believe me.”

“No, I don’t. Andy leaving makes you a criminal?”

“Yes, it does. It really does Nigel. I think I reached a new level of bitch today. And to think…I thought I could do no worse than when I told her she was the ‘smart, fat girl’.”

Nigel regarded her with a weary stare. “Yes, she told me about that. Frankly, I was surprised you said something like that to her. She was special. In a good way.”

Miranda dropped her head and looked at the bar, studying the wood grain. “Yes she was…and now she’s gone.”

Nigel waved a hand in the air “Well Miranda if it really means that much to you then go change her mind. You’ve never done it before…asked someone to _not_ quit, but hey, there is a first time for everything.”

“Now I know you’ve been smoking something. Nigel, I can’t do that! She wouldn’t come back anyway. If there is one thing I know about Andrea Sachs it’s that she does not _change_ her mind.”

“She might. You know she worships you. Your attempt to stop her might very well make her faint from happiness. You never know.”

“Ha! You really don’t know what you’re talking about do you?”

Before continuing, Nigel ordered some coffee and a tray of hors d’oeuves. Apparently he decided, without her consent, that she had finally reached her limit. So be it. She would probably thank him later.

“Now. Back to your last statement, no I don’t know what you’re talking about because you’re really not making any sense, darling.”

“I know…I know. I haven’t been making any sense for quite a while. You know I was just waiting. I was just waiting…”

“For what? Here…drink this and for God’s sake eat something. You need something in your stomach to soak up all the poison you just ingested.”

“Alright, alright stop badgering me. Now, where was I?”

“You were saying something about waiting?”

Miranda gestured wildly in the air, “Oh yes!...yes. Waiting. I was waiting for Stephen to leave. I knew he would eventually.” She slapped the bar top. “I just didn’t know it would be precisely _now_. It put me in the worst mood, and to complicate matters she came in my room just after I found out. What a complete mess.”

“Well go on, tell me. What happened?”

Miranda took a drink of coffee and popped a bite of food into her mouth. This was probably the most fattening thing she had put in her mouth in months. “What _happened_? I was a weeping mess, that’s what _happened_. And she was so… _her_. You know. So sweet and caring. And I bit her head off of course.  She most likely thinks I was crying for Stephen and that of course was _not_ the case. You’re right. I could give a shit about him. Regardless…” she took another drink and another bit of food. This stuff was pretty good. “I bit her head off, and then there is that mind-numbing speech in the car. That was the last straw, so to speak. I’ve been horrid to her from day one really.”

“But that’s really no different than you treat any other assistant.” Nigel chuckled lightly until Miranda turned her death glare on him.

“No…this _was_ different. She was different. Very different. And I’ve fucked up. She’ll never come back to me now. Never.”

Nigel cleared his throat and sort of went pale. Ah, he finally figured it out. Thank God. Miranda was wondering if she was going to have to rent a plane and have it written in the sky in huge letters ‘I’M IN LOVE WITH ANDREA SACHS’. Oh, shit. Shut up brain! Where is that goddamn backspace button when you need it?

“So, um…when you say ‘come back to me’…you don’t mean _Runway_ do you?”

Miranda took a deep breath. Time for the truth. You can do this. You can do this. The first step is admitting you have a problem, right? “Yes. That is precisely what I do _not_ mean Nigel. I’ve ruined it though, so it really doesn’t matter now does it? My evil deeds have cost me the greatest thing. I don’t even have a good defense. There are no excuses…”

“Whoa.”

“Yes, _whoa_. Exactly. I can’t even redeem myself in this. It’s done. I’ve gone too far.”

Nigel sat silent for a minute just staring at her face. She turned back to the pretty stained glass and tried not to focus on the fact that she was near tears. That would not do. Especially since she was starting to sober up a little.

“Miranda…I don’t know what to say. I had no idea. I had no idea you were…well I don’t know. Gay?”

“Darling, I don’t have any term for this other than to say that I am…that girl is…God, I don’t know. This is just my punishment. For _every_ sin I have _ever_ committed.” Nigel put his hand on her shoulder and she didn’t shrug it off. What’s was the use?

“Christ, Miranda…I’ve never seen you like this. I mean, really I think the answer is pretty simple here. You need to go talk to her. You need to tell her. I mean…Thinking about it for a minute makes me think she might feel the same way.”

“Oh, I know she does.”

Nigel spit coffee into the napkin he already had in his hands. “You what! She what!”

“Yes. I know she does.” Miranda stated rather confidently. “A few weeks ago I was at the office late. Everyone was gone. Everyone. I needed a file and I knew she had it somewhere in her desk. I opened her file drawer and there it was. A notebook. I tossed in on top of her desk to reach what I needed and it fell open. It was her writing…cover to cover. I couldn’t help myself. I sat down right there and read every bit of it. I swear to God Nigel if she doesn’t write a best seller one day the world will be missing out. Anyway, I burned this part into my memory and I doubt I will ever forget it. Ever. She said ‘ _Last night Nate told me –in case you’re wondering, the person who’s calls you always take, that’s the relationship you’re in. I hope you two are very happy together- and guess what? I wish it was true. I wish we were. I’m tired of fucking denying it. I want her_.’ That’s it. Word for word.”

Nigel gasped and Miranda toasted him with her coffee, smiling bitterly.

“Holy shit, Miranda. Holy shit.”

“Indeed. So you see I have truly fucked up my dear.”

“No…no, you haven’t. You can fix this.” Nigel got a panicked look on his face and glanced at his watch. “You can. Come on.” Throwing a hundred dollar bill on the bar, Nigel climbed off his bar stool while Miranda looked at him like he had three heads.

“Nigel, are you mad? What are you doing?”

“I’m not letting you waste this. Let her leave _Runway_ but you have to fix this. For both of you. Come on.” He didn’t wait for her reply, he simply jerked her off the bar stool and started dragging her out of the bar.

“Nigel! Let go of me!”

“Absolutely not. I’m not letting you do this. I’ve never seen you like this before and I’m not going to watch this slip away from you. Not when you both feel the same way. Come on.” He kept dragging her down the hall to the elevator while she kept protesting.

“Where are we going? Let go of me!”

“You’re going to her room. She’s still there packing. I know she is. You’re going in there and you’re not coming out until you’ve told her everything!”

They were in the elevator now and Miranda felt a little sick. How did this happen? How could she tell her _now_? After everything that happened? “Nigel I cannot do that. I can’t.”

“Oh yes you can.”

Three seconds later they were standing in front of Andrea’s door. Fabulous. She was either going to throw up or pass out or both. This was just great. Miranda whispered, so Andrea couldn’t hear them outside “I can’t do this!”

Nigel hissed back at her. “ _Yes_ , you can! You said so yourself that you want redemption. Here’s your chance. Now just get in there and rip the band-aid off, okay?”

Miranda was sure she was in shock now. There was no other way to describe this feeling.  She was scared shitless yet completely confident all at the same time. Or at least a small part of her was. Wasn’t she the best at getting what she wanted? She wanted Andrea. Andrea wanted her. How hard could this be? “Alright. Get away from the door. I’m doing this now.” Miranda knocked on the door and Nigel scurried off down the hall to a safe distance.

The Gods must have been smiling down on Miranda at that moment because Andrea opened the door right up. Oh, God.

Her eyes flashed hot with anger and she started to shut the door instantly, but Miranda put her hand out. “Andrea. Wait.”

“Miranda, what do you want? Why are you here?”

Miranda took a step into the doorway, but didn’t enter the suite. She could still see down the hall and turned her head quickly, looking at Nigel. He waved his hand forward frantically. She nodded and turned back to Andrea.

“I’m here to rip a band-aid off.”

“ _What_?”

There was just no way to describe the look on Andrea’s face now and there was just no way to re-explain. Miranda closed the distance between them and took Andrea’s face in her hands and kissed her. Down the hall Nigel was propping himself up against the wall to keep from fainting.

Miranda kissed her harder and finally felt Andrea relax against her and kiss her back. Miranda pulled away, sucking on Andrea’s bottom lip as she did so. “I’ve been waiting to do that for a long time.” Miranda wrapped her arms around the girl’s waist, afraid that she would run off again.

Andrea didn’t run off again and she didn’t reply with words. She simply stepped back enough so that they were both well inside the suite and Miranda kicked the door closed behind them.

 

THE END

 


End file.
